Where are the nation’s best hospitals? See US News’ 2018-2019 rankings

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is ranked No. 3 on the U.S. News best hospitals honor roll, which recognizes 20 institutions that "deliver exceptional treatment across multiple areas of care." (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore ranked high yet again on U.S. News & World Reports' annual "honor roll" of the nation's best institutions. See the top-ranked facility and the 10 best hospitals around D.C., as well as the areas in which they shined.

WASHINGTON — U.S. News & World Report has released its 29th-annual rankings of America’s best hospitals, and one familiar name scored well on its nationwide “honor roll.”

Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore is ranked No. 3 on that esteemed list, which recognizes 20 hospitals that “deliver exceptional treatment across multiple areas of care,” U.S. News & World Report said in a prepared statement Tuesday.

The Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, topped the U.S. News honor roll for the third consecutive year. The Cleveland Clinic claimed the No. 2 spot.

“To be on the honor roll, a hospital needs to excel in virtually every area of complex specialty care,” said Ben Harder, chief of health analysis at U.S. News.

Overall, the rankings size up over 4,500 hospitals nationwide across 25 specialties, procedures and conditions. In at least one specialty, 158 hospitals were nationally ranked. More than 1,100 were rated “high performing” in at least one common procedure or condition, and 29 received a “high-performing” rating in all nine procedures and conditions evaluated.

D.C. area’s top 10

1. Medstar Georgetown University Hospital in D.C. topped the D.C.-area rankings. It was recognized as No. 26 nationally in the diabetes and endocrinology category. “It’s also high-performing in multiple areas of care, including every aspect of cancer care that we evaluated,” Harder said.

5. (tie) Medstar Washington Hospital Center in D.C. was recognized for its cardiac care nationally (49th). It was high performing in multiple types of heart surgery as well as in treating heart failure. It was also lauded for treating COPD and for colon cancer surgeries.

5. (tie) Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington was high-performing in six categories, including some aortic-valve and heart-bypass procedures and colon cancer surgery.

10. Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, was a high performer in the orthopedics, hip-replacement surgery and knee-replacement surgery categories.

‘Do your research’

U.S. News assembled the rankings with RTI International. The methodology was changed this year to include more emphasis on patient outcomes and patient experience.

Of the 16 specialties, 12 were ranked by data-driven indicators, while four (ophthalmology, psychiatry, rehabilitation and rheumatology) were determined by reputation, based on three years of physician specialist surveys.

The rankings are considered a tool when choosing the right hospital for specialized care, Harder said.

“Most patients do not need the kind of care that an honor roll hospital provides,” he said. “For most medical needs, there are great hospitals in the D.C. area that are entirely capable of treating you or your loved ones or whoever needs care.”

“But it is important to do your research and identify a hospital that is good in the specific kind of care you need.”